Amid jokes about his marriage, anecdotes about his children, confessions about his musical tastes, and even stories about the family pets, Marco Rubio delivered one of the most striking moments of a relaxed interview with his wife, Jeanette: his prediction about the future of Cuba.
The Secretary of State was interviewed by Katie Miller at the State Department, in a conversation that was mostly personal but took a turn when the host brought up a particularly sensitive question for Cubans.
"You have always been one of the toughest voices on Cuba. We captured Maduro in Venezuela. Is Cuba next?" Miller asked.
Rubio did not directly answer whether Washington is considering a similar operation, but he did make a prediction about what he expects to happen on the island before the current administration of Donald Trump concludes.
"I am sure that Cuba, by the time this administration ends, will be on an irreversible path towards a very different future," he stated.
The head of American diplomacy clarified that a system established for nearly seven decades cannot disappear overnight and warned that any transformation would require a transition process.
As a reference, he mentioned what happened in Eastern Europe after the fall of communist regimes and pointed out that countries like Poland needed several years to complete their transformation.
“There is a transition that needs to take place and a process to get there,” Rubio explained, who emphasized that Cuba is a priority for the Trump administration and linked that policy directly to the national security interests of the United States.
"I care about Cuba. Obviously, I have a personal connection to it, but I do not work for Cuba. I work for the United States," he emphasized. In his view, Washington is interested in having a Cuba that is "safe, stable, and aligned with the United States," a consideration he also extended to Venezuela.
The statements reinforce a line that Rubio has been publicly advocating. Just days ago, he told Axios that Washington's goal is for Cuba to reach the end of Trump's term on an “irreversible path toward a different future”, amidst a campaign of pressure that has included dozens of measures against entities and officials connected to the regime.
He has also spoken openly about how a possible transition could unfold. In June, during a hearing in Congress, he stated that there are technocrats within the Cuban apparatus with whom the United States could collaborate, although he acknowledged the challenges in identifying an individual with sufficient authority to lead that process.
The seriousness of the message about Cuba contrasted with much of the interview, which was marked by the marital complicity between Rubio and Jeanette. The couple spoke about their nearly three decades of marriage, their four children, and the everyday differences that still lead to arguments at home.
Rubio mentioned, for example, that his wife can fall asleep in seconds while he needs silence and darkness; Jeanette recalled that her husband used to play pranks on their children when they were little, and they both exchanged jabs about who apologizes first after an argument.
The Secretary of State also revealed his fondness for electronic music and chose Tupac as his favorite rapper, in addition to joking about his obsession with American football and his taste for Pop-Tarts.
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